CLEER Paper 2016/1 - Pantaleo, Douma, Takács (eds.)

Tiptoeing to TTIP: What Kind of Agreement for What Kind of Partnership?

Luca Pantaleo, Wybe Douma and Tamara Takács (eds.)

The present CLEER Paper collects some of the contributions that were presented during the roundtable organised by the T.M.C. Asser Institute in September 2015, in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The papers focus on some of the most debated issues currently under negotiation; topics that have drawn much public opinion, and raised controversy at societal and political levels. These issues include: democratic legitimacy and accountability that are relevant to the regulatory cooperation chapter of the negotiations and the EU’s position therein; sustainable development (including the protection of the environment and consumers), which constitutes another chapter in the negotiations and an important aspiration for the EU in its external relations, including commercial links; and finally, issues relevant to the investment chapter, namely dispute settlement and investment litigation.

This CLEER Paper critically assesses the status of negotiations in these issues and highlights the controversies. It also offers constructive recommendations. A common element in all papers is the centrality placed on the status of citizens, calling for negotiations that are open and transparent and receptive of societal concerns that go beyond economic considerations and trade liberalisation.